Has anyone managed anything spectacular with this aroid mine has been growing for quite a few years now with not a lot of care and attention. It grows it dies down in autumn where I then leave the pots on the floor of the greenhouse through winter where it probably does go below freezing and later the next year they appear again.

I bought one tuber/corm from Koba Koba which tells you how long ago I have had these as the owner has since passed away and the nursery closed so I may have had these 10 years........

Looking at this shot tells me maybe I should have planted the corms all in over sized pots.

(note to self must try harder to get pictures in focus occasionally)

Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:26 pm

themes

Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 amPosts: 1525Location: birmingham, UK

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

what gives with that pot with labels. Is it the garden equivalent of keys in a bowl? keep it blurry

_________________Regards,

Mo

Fri Jul 26, 2013 11:49 pm

Steven

Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:02 pmPosts: 2094Location: Germany USDA 8b

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

Well, if you look in my last set of pics ("Garden pics") you can see mine flowering after three years, Kev.

The corm weighed about 300g last year.

I think heat does the trick or keeping them under glass. In Germany you can grow them in full ground in the warmer parts. There was a guy on the web, somewhere in Hesse, who had a whole field of them, selling them via Ebay and digging them up each autumn. He stored them in the cellar over winter like potatoes.

I grow A.konjac, along with several other Amorphophallus. I've never had a flower on konjac either, but the tubers in my cultivation will need a few more years yet. It is all about the size and weight of the tuber - do you know how big your largest tuber is? I would have thought 300g is at the lower end of the scale for producing an inflorescence.

The tubers are capable of bulking up pretty quickly. As you've noticed, a large pot is best, as is a moderately rich soil mix.

I have obtained a couple of A. konjac 'leo song' this year. They have a really attractive pink flushed petiole which should look even better as the plants increase in size each year.

I really like Amorphophallus for creating unusual leaf textures in the garden. I often see photos of 'aroid beds' but they nearly always feature just Colocasia, or maybe the occasional Alocasia. It's a shame that the aroids are not more widely used - Sauromatum, Amorphophallus, Remusatia, Spathantheum and Arisaeama, amongst others, are all excellent plants for the tropical effect!

Ben not sure how big it is, Jackie repotted these, I will check after the leaves have died down though I do know the larger one needs a bigger pot already....rootbound.

Sun Jul 28, 2013 8:16 pm

Jimhardy

Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:34 pmPosts: 502Location: Iowa

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

Kev

I purchased 3 l bulbs last year,they threw in a couple more small ones.

The bulbs were the size of large tomatoes.

All overwintered,one lost its main shoot but....well,you'll see what it did.....

One of them I accidentally broke seeing if it was alive,itlived and has been planted in several sections(Horcrux) which are alive.

Heres the one that lost its main shoot/bud,it put out a circle and now has aboutfour bigger sized ones coming up in the middle....also one putout a shoot 7' from the main plant...reminds me of Tetrapanex!

All were over wintered with a Frisbee over the top and a little pile of mulch on the Frisbee.

This one will end up about 4 1/2' tall and 4 1/2 wide at the top.

The 3 main bulbs put out around 15 shoots this year,not counting what the other little ones did.

They really are fascinating plants...almost like they are from another planet.

I hear the blooms are cool too!

Mon Jul 29, 2013 4:52 pm

Clive in London

Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:46 amPosts: 398Location: London

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

Plant some in the ground, Kev - I had flowers on mine pretty quickly by treating them like potatoes, as mentioned! And I think for decent flowers you need to keep the tuber in soil whilst it is doing it's thing - you see those pics of people with the dry corm plus flower but it never worked for me - just got distorted flowers.

Cool pics Jim I am surprised they come back for you with your low temps probably insulating snow is the factor.I think as Clive suggests I will try some in the ground and see what happens maybe next to my Cyathea cooperi which has made yet another appearance this year.

I'm surprised how well you grow these Kev considering your cool summers. They are totally at home here and are grown in full sun as a root crop - conditions quite different from yours! I passed a big patch of them just yesterday on the bike - shoulda stopped to take a pic.

Cool pics Jim I am surprised they come back for you with your low temps probably insulating snow is the factor.I think as Clive suggests I will try some in the ground and see what happens maybe next to my Cyathea cooperi which has made yet another appearance this year.

I would agree Kev

We have had 2 winters in a row that weren't bad,well...warmest ever followed by a mild one......

problem is,winter started at the end of Feb and went through mid April this year.

The winter was mild and dry enough that I had unmulched Canna bulbs still perfect in early Marchbut we had so much wet snow in Feb/March that they ALL rotten-so I would think this year isone where the snow worked against them as it was not to cold while it was snowing.

One of the shoots came up 7' away from one of the bulbs so this for sure ventured beyond any possible protection.

i think (like Tetrapanex)this one is hardier than you would think.

Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:49 pm

Steven

Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:02 pmPosts: 2094Location: Germany USDA 8b

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

Jim,the size of your corms was actually flowering size for mine!

If you have a thick layer of snow every year, you can actually grow a lot of "tender" perennnials. IF, I say. T rex is super hardy regarding the roots and makes perfect sense as a perennial, especially in a hot summer climate like yours, given it gets plenty of water and food.

My koniac is pushing up a leaf, now after the flower has faded, which btw, has lasted far longer than the one of the Dracunculus, for about a week! I think one can try them in full ground all year from USDA 8 upwards, given they are covered in winter, otherwise they seem to be prone to rot.

What's the plant in the background with the variegated leaves? Looks beautiful!

Tue Jul 30, 2013 7:42 am

Jimhardy

Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:34 pmPosts: 502Location: Iowa

Re: Amorphophallus konjac

Thanks Steven

Snow is a mixed blessing here,it for sure provides insulation and protection during Arctic blasts.....

but as I mentioned in spring it can be a death sentence-

Tetrapanex is ridiculous,I think the runners on these and the Konjac bulbs are hardier than the plants/bulbs.

Would be interesting( I guess )to see what -10F with no snow cover would do but I am pretty surethey have seen close to that -although...we have been fortunate having snow on the ground during most of the worst cold.